New songs for June 8th, 2022

 here they are:


"Alpha Zulu" by Phoenix: Phoenix sure have interesting titles for their songs! The title for this one is literally the letters "A" and "Z" in military code! The significance of this phrase in this catchy and surprisingly dark electro-pop/rock song is fitting with its apocalyptic theme, and it's also the first Phoenix song I've heard written in minor key instead of major. According to Phoenix's lead singer, Thomas Mars, the phrase "Alpha Zulu" in the context of the song is basically another way of saying, "Mayday! We're going down!" The song seems to be about how difficult modern times are for many people, and how we are desperate to cling to visions of a more idealistic realm in order to feel safe. It's the end of the world as we know it, but unlike R.E.M., Phoenix do not appear to "feel fine." This song is urgent, and for a good reason!

"Dance Around It" by Lucius (featuring Brandi Carlile Sheryl Crow): Lucius may be duetting with two roots-y folk-rockers on their latest song, but "Dance Around It," in case you hadn't already guessed from the title, is not a folk or roots-rock song! Apt to its title, "Dance Around It" has a very vibrant, dance-pop sound to it! It is a relentlessly happy song whose intention is to bring about happiness (and dancing) to its listeners. Lucius' main members, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, say that the point of "Dance Around It" is to "dance through the darkness." In other words, to take the bad times many of us have gone through recently, and to counteract those with fun, feel-good music. Sounds good to me!

"Expectations" by Lo Moon: Known for their soothing, atmospheric indie-pop sound, "Expectations" is a song that will defy your (pun intended) expectations of Lo Moon! The song is much more upbeat than the typically slow songs Lo Moon usually come up with. Setting the time machine to about 35 years ago for both its "Take on Me"-esque sound and its bittersweet lyrics reflecting on teen years (as many John Hughes films were known for doing back then), "Expectations" is a song that will probably appeal to fans of Stranger Things and other '80s-centric memorabilia that are actually present-day phenomena. "It's getting kinda hard not to blame myself," lead singer Matt Lowell mournfully sings towards the end of the song, perhaps to acknowledge how the song is not nostalgic in a sweet way, but more in a cynical manner. 

"Make a Picture" by Andrew Bird: Do you like indie-folk/pop musicians who use orchestral string instruments prominently in their songs? Great! Do you like kitties?! Even better! Perhaps it's the "running on the streets like feral cats" in the first verse that caused Andrew to make the decision for his latest video for his song, "Make a Picture," or perhaps it's just the quirkiness of Andrew Bird. Whatever the reason, though, this is the cutest music video I've seen in a long time! Fitting to the song's title, "Make a Picture"'s video also deals with taking photographs...but seriously. How can I not love a music video with KITTIES in it?! Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XdqCjtveTw

"Talk" by beabadoobee: None of beabadoobee's songs really sound like they belong in the midst of the 21st century as much as they would towards the end of the 20th. Her latest song, "Talk," is no exception to the rule, evoking heavy influence from such '90s alt-rock heavyweights as Garbage and Smashing Pumpkins. The subject matter of the song would not be out of place in a '90s alt song either. It is about Beatrice "beabadoobee" Laus being in a relationship with someone whom she knows is bad for her, but she wants to be in it anyway, and the overall tone of the song seems to be somewhere between apathetic and angst-ridden.

"Turn Up the Sunshine" by Diana Ross (featuring Tame Impala): The soul singer who reigned "Supreme" in the 1960's with two other women backing her up has returned for the first time in many, many years with indie-pop/rock sensations, Tame Impala, for a song from the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack. Tame Impala provide the electro-pop backbeat of the song, but it's clear that this song is mainly Diana's from both her strong vocal presence and equally strong '70s funk inspired choice of music! The soundtrack of the latest movie featuring the quirky, gibberish-speaking...things...that look like Homer Simpson's head with one eye seems to take place in the 1970's, judging from the classic soul and classic rock hits being covered on the soundtrack, all by indie-pop artists from the 2010's. Seems like they're attempting to do for 1970's pop music what Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks did for its own music: taking music from the past and giving it a "modern rock" twist (the Schoolhouse Rock tribute album featured mainly '90s alt-rock artists since it was released in the middle of the decade). For "Turn Up the Sunshine," the people behind the Minions and Despicable Me movies took the extra liberty of bringing in an actual musician who was popular in the 1970's, and not just someone covering music from that era. "Turn Up the Sunshine" is also an entirely original tune, making it that much fresher. With Diana being only two years shy of 80, it's amazing that she's still able to sound as funky fresh as she was in her younger years!

New songs for January 19th 2022

 here they are:


"Brother the Cloud" by Eddie Vedder: Simultaneously a hard rocker and alt-folk-y emotional tearjerker, the Pearl Jam frontman's latest song, "Brother the Cloud," is a poignant and cathartic song in which the word "brother" is not used merely as a metaphor for someone he was close to. "Brother the Cloud" is about Eddie's actual brother (well, half-brother), Chris Mueller, who died 6 years ago in a climbing accident. Similarly, the word "cloud" in this song was also well-chosen, referring not merely to heaven or something of the like, but rather to how Eddie's half-brother reached the end of his life while literally rising up towards the clouds. Vedder is a special kind of poet among rock stars who chooses his words both carefully and cleverly!

"Next to Normal" by Lucius: A psychedelic disco fusion that sounds more like St. Vincent than it does Lucius, "Next to Normal" is ostensibly a love song, but not a typical one. In it, the lead singer describes how she feels "next to normal" with her lover, but the titular phrase is not just some cutesy throwaway term used merely for the sake of romance. Elsewhere in the song, she discusses how her paranoia gets the best of her sometimes and how she has lost friends and tends to laugh at inappropriate moments. This sounds strangely familiar somehow! Maybe because in my own life I've experienced similar things. It is not fun to live life this way, but with a loved one at your side (romantic or platonic), members of the neurodiverse community such as myself can manage to feel "next to normal" for the understanding they are given by the other person. Isn't that what everyone wants?!

"Pa Pa Power" by Cat Power: From time to time, indie-folk musician Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, releases cover songs (one of her best was a cover of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" that she did back in 2008). A little over a decade has gone by since she released that cover, and she has embarked once again on a collection of cover songs, although this one is a much more obscure one that was originally done by Dead Man's Bones, a band that features actor Ryan Gosling on lead vocals. Having not heard the original version of "Pa Pa Power," I can't make a comparison between Cat Power's version and the original version, but CP gives the song a haunting, minor-key mystique, perhaps fitting for its minimalistic yet morbid lyrics. 

"Slide Tackle" by Japanese Breakfast: 2021 was a year of unexpected surprise for electro-indie-pop group, Japanese Breakfast. Their song "Be Sweet," a slinky, seductive slice of synth-pop, became one of the most played adult alt radio singles of the year (and the one that I played the most, apparently), and they have since gotten Grammy nominations, performance spots at Coachella, and a guest appearance on James Corden's late night talk show. So how do you follow up THAT level of success, you may ask?! Japanese Breakfast's latest single, "Slide Tackle," doesn't quite have the power or quirkiness of "Be Sweet," but it has a fun, unique sound all its own. Unlike "Be Sweet"s minor key, "Slide Tackle" is in a major key, and it also has a sleek sax solo to boot that kind of defines the song. 

"You Will Never Work in Television Again" by The Smile: "The Smile" is probably the last thing you'd expect a Radiohead side project to be named, but that is what Radiohead's lead singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Johnny Greenwood are calling their new band! It's also a rather deceptive name for the kind of music they have chosen to do, which is somewhat aggressive both lyrically and musically (although not to an uncomfortable or unlistenable extent), and a bit avant-garde and minimalistic even by Radiohead standards! The title of this song, on the other hand, does seem to encapsulate the song's snide spirit, which probably serve as a way for Thom Yorke to vehemently rail against the entertainment industry. 

New songs for February 24th 2021

 here they are:


"Bed Head" by Manchester Orchestra: "Bed Head" is a good reminder to fans of Manchester Orchestra of where their roots were from. People like me who first heard them from "The Gold" back in 2017 might have thought of them as a contemporary folk-rock group, but that is not all they do. Far from it. "Bed Head" is straight-up alt-rock for ya, at least from a 21st century perspective of the term. A minor-key melody, guitars that sound halfway between "lite" emo and the post-punk revival, and warbling yet passionate vocals: all key elements of today's alt-rock, and "Bed Head" has got it all! Fitting with the song's overall "alternative" musical theme are its lyrics, which seem to question the meaning of life while finding reasons to regret it at the same time. 

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals: With the few songs I've heard so far by Glass Animals ("Gooey," "Your Love Deja Vu," and now this one), I'm convinced that Glass Animals might just be their own genre combo - lounge-tronica. They use a lot of synthesized instrumentation, but they present it in such a way that it sounds like perfect music to play in a lounge room. Their latest song, "Heat Waves," is no exception to the rule. The title is not the only lyric that uses summertime imagery either. Practically the whole song does, particularly the chorus, evoking such languid, sultry imagery as "Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights or in the middle of June." Summer may still be months away, but who says we can't enjoy summertime vibes in late winter?! 

"Not Dead Yet" by Lord Huron: Never has there been a Lord Huron song with such blatantly morbid imagery (although "The World Ender" came close)! Their music typically brings about calmer vibes, with the darkness of some of their lyrics being only an oblique setoff to their sound. But just take a close listen to some of the lyrics here! "You got holes on your clothes, booze on your breath, you're lookin' like hell, and you smell like death." Whoa! Huron's Ben Schneider must really hate somebody (possibly himself) in order to write lyrics like THAT! Yeah, we get it, Ben. You're most definitely NOT dead. We believe you. Instead, it seems more like you're out to MAKE someone dead!

"Strangers" by Black Pumas (featuring Lucius): This is a pretty interesting song and collaboration. First of all, this song is not actually a Black Pumas OR Lucius song. It was originally a song by The Kinks from the early 1970's, the type of folk-rock venture The Kinks sometimes went on that seem to be popular picks for Wes Anderson films. This isn't really a song I'd picture Black Pumas or Lucius to cover, the former being a duo intent on reviving '70s soul music, and the latter being an indie-folk/pop quartet that is half female and half male. Interesting to note that both groups have become popular on the adult alt format, but haven't ventured too far outside the format so far (Oddly, Black Pumas' "Colors" is JUST starting to get airplay on regular alt-rock radio two years after its initial release, but they haven't become a household name on alt radio yet). Surprisingly, they both do an excellent job covering this Kinks classic that extols the virtues of outsider-ness!

A very special day: 10th Blog-i-versary AND my mom's 64th birthday!!

Can you believe it?! I've been doing this blog for 10 years now!! And it's my mom's birthday!! So what are we gonna do to celebrate?! Review 9 brand new songs, that's what! The first three, coincidentally, begin with the letter B...as in "birthday" (and "blog-i-versary"). So here goes:


"Back to Me" by Grace Potter (featuring Lucius): This song combines the humble country-rock sound Grace Potter started with with the more slinky, sexy sound she cultivated later on. As soon as indie-pop/rockers, Lucius, drop in during the chorus, the song turns a bit more soulful. Grace really flaunts the temptation factor on this song! She fools the listener into thinking she's in love with someone, only for them to find out that Grace is actually trying to break up with that same person. If you're looking for love, don't look to this song for answers. But if you're looking for a sensual auditory experience with deceptive lyrics, you've come to the right place!


"Be Afraid" by Jason Isbell: A sense of urgency has probably come over you just reading the title of this song. If so, you'd be right to feel that way! That desperate feeling churns out right from the beginning of this song, which has a sort of "R.E.M. goes Southern rock" kind of sound. Isbell has fought against politics with his music for quite awhile now, and he shows no signs of letting up just yet with his latest song, "Be Afraid". The fear in this song seems to come from all sorts of topics, ranging from political to sexual, and even in fears surrounding the state of being a musician in and of itself! "Be afraid, be very afraid", Isbell urges his listeners, before adding in, "but do it anyway". It's time for us to face our fears. In spite of the title of this song, Jason Isbell is clearly anything BUT afraid here!


"By And By" by Caamp: Caamp's surprise summer smash, "Peach Fuzz", which was popular enough to make my Top 20 of 2019, was a pleasantly quirky song that was a rock song on the surface, but a bluegrass song underneath. "By And By" has more of a pure bluegrass sound than its predecessor, enough to be mistaken for a band like Trampled by Turtles. No electric guitars to be found here, just sweet, mellow, banjo driven bluegrass. The opening lyrics, "driving through West Virginia", even give it a "lonesome traveler on the highway" kind of feel. During the chorus of the song, Caamp's lead singer muses about his girlfriend and wonders if she's a "life force". Not exactly sure what that entails, but "By And By" is still an easy, breezy song to listen to.


"Dissolve" by Absofacto: Every once in awhile, we come across songs that immediately get associated with commercial products. Absofacto's "Dissolve" is one such case. It has actually been in existence for two years now, but it has received massive attention within the past two weeks for being used on advertisement for video sharing platform, Tik Tok. Apps like Tik Tok are a bit sketchy to me, but it's not that surprising that a song like "Dissolve" has been used to promote Tik Tok. The song is sleek and trendy, combining elements of hip-hop and electronica into a smooth yet fashionable flavor.


"Forever Nevermore" by Sea Wolf: Probably one of the few bands I've blogged about and met members of in person, Sea Wolf are an L.A. band who deftly mixes folk guitars with a post-punk atmosphere. Their latest song, "Forever Nevermore", seems to be about not knowing what to want in a relationship. The title, "Forever Nevermore", is a clever way of expressing this, juxtaposing the idealism of "forever" and the pessimism of "never". The opening lyrics, "Stepped out, cool dirt under feet/And the fog in the air and the crack of the snare bittersweet", give the song a hazy, wintry aura to set the mood for the rest of the song. An icy song on the outside, but with a warm heart underneath it all.


"Honeybee" by The Head and The Heart: The third song to become a single from The Head and The Heart's latest album, "Honeybee" is a song that continues on the more-pop-than-rock indie slant that The Head and The Heart have taken on roughly since the mid 2010's. However, what makes this song special is what band member Charity Rose Thielen, who sings harmony on this track, thinks of it. Her comment is the first one on the "visualizer" video for "Honeybee" on YouTube, and it states that the song is about taking those you trust the most for granted, and therefore holding back on telling them how you really feel until it's too late. The title of the song, "Honeybee", as you could probably imagine, is not much more than a cutesy nickname in the context of the song, but the song itself has a very delicate, fragile meaning that urges you to look beyond the surface of it.


"I Wanna Be the One" by Pete Yorn: Pete's 2019 adult alt radio hit, "Calm Down", hearkened back so much to the "old" Pete Yorn sound that I instantly fell in love with. His second single from his 2019 album, the song "I Wanna Be the One", doesn't quite have the same vibe. In some parts, it sounds like it wants to be atmospheric like a Smiths or Cure song, yet in other parts it sounds more like a folk-rock-y Pete Yorn song. The song is obviously a love song if its title is anything to go by. It's a sweet song, but it's missing that Pete Yorn magic that I crave every time I hear one of his songs.


"Need Your Love" by Tennis: Known for blending Brill Building "girl group" influenced sounds with post-psychedelic pop topped with the honey-sweet harmonic vocals of Alaina Moore, Tennis are an indie-pop band who pretty much always sound "retro". Their latest song, "Need Your Love", is no exception to this. What distinguishes "Need Your Love" from their other songs, however, is how the rhythm of the song becomes slower during the chorus than it is during the verses. Just when you get caught up in the catchy beat of the verses, the song slows down enough to make you feel less elevated than when you started listening to it, which begs the question: Do Tennis really "Need Our Love", or are they just playing with our hearts?!


"Shangri-La" by EOB (Ed O'Brien from Radiohead): Radiohead's Thom Yorke has gone solo a few times, and we got pretty much what we expected out of him: jaded yet pretty slices of music that melded post-punk with post-psychedelia. So what does Radiohead's guitarist, Ed O'Brien, have to offer us? The result is in his debut solo song, "Shangri-La", a song that manages to be even weirder than Thom Yorke's music, albeit in an intriguing manner. Where Thom highlights what make Radiohead such a great "alternative" band, Ed highlights the more prog-rock influenced side of the band that really shone during songs like "Paranoid Android". Pink Floyd, U2, Beck, and Nine Inch Nails are all accurate comparisons for this truly unique, hypnotic song!

Happy Val-"N"-tines Day!!

The punny title comes from how all three songs for this week begin with the letter N. Here they are:


"Neighbors" by Lucius: Female-centric indie-pop group, Lucius, walk the line between juicy pop goodness and folk-rock bittersweetness. Their latest song, "Neighbors", is the latter. It is also a bit paranoia fueled, as far as the lyrics go. The song even opens with the lyrics, "I always lock the door 'cause you never know for sure who your neighbors are, real suspicious." The minor key of the song adds to its paranoia, but it probably isn't something that can be easily detected until listening to the song all the way through at least a few times.


"No Hard Feelings" by The Avett Brothers: The Avett Brothers did not release a new album yet this year. This one is actually a leftover from their 2016 album. "No Hard Feelings" is probably the saddest and slowest song to be released as a single from that album so far. The song is a farewell of some sort, but whether it's farewell to a girl, to a family member(s), or even to life itself, is hard to tell. The song closes with the line "I have no enemies" sung four times. All in all, it's a very sad song to listen to, but a good one. Now whoever's been chopping up onions in here, please stop!


"Not Too Late" by Moon Taxi: Almost all of Moon Taxi's songs so far have had a "tropical" vibe to them. This one does not. "Not Too Late" has a bit more of a straight up indie-pop sound, complete with both U2-ish guitars in the verses and club worthy synth in the chorus, the latter of which isn't exactly a common instrument yet in Moon Taxi's songs. Not as remarkable as most Moon Taxi songs, but certainly not bad either.

New songs for February 17th 2016

here they are:


"All Day All Night" by Moon Taxi: Not to be confused with the similarly titled "All Day And All of the Night" by The Kinks. In fact, it's safe to say that this song is like that one's opposite! It's mellow, slow, and tropical, as opposed to the loud, fast, and urban vibe of the Kinks song. One reason Moon Taxi's "All Day All Night" has been getting attention lately is because of (you guessed it) the Grammys. No, they weren't actually featured on the program, but the band and the song were both featured on a McDonald's commercial that aired a couple of times during the program. McDonald's AND the Grammys? Way to hit the big time! I can see why McDonald's wanted to use this song on its commercials, too. It's the perfect "have a good time" song that Mickey D's customers probably want to hear when they're just chilling and eating lunch. Of course, if they overdose on Big Macs they'll have heart and stomach problems that are probably better associated with the roughness of the Kinks song than they would be with the smoothness of this song!


"Born Again Teen" by Lucius: This song marks a return to form to the energetic, sugary indie-pop style that Lucius originally had back when they debuted in late 2013 with "Turn It Around". "Born Again Teen" is actually even more bouncy than "Turn It Around" was. The "teen" feeling in the song is invoked in both the lyrics and in the sound. No, it doesn't sound like a "boy band" song, for those who are wondering (after all, Lucius are not male themselves). Instead, it sounds more like a "girl group" song from the early '60s, but with an added flavor of the more modern type of sweet-and-sour girl-pop like, say, Liz Phair, maybe. Bubblegum pop with an edge, that's what this song is! If that's your thing, then please give this song a listen!

New songs for May 21st, 2014

here they are:


"Control" by Broken Bells: Broken Bells' latest album is called "After the Disco". So what IS after the disco? New wave?! From the sound of their latest song, "Control", I would certainly think so! Opening with fuzzy guitars and a flange soaked bass (and a soulful sax solo to boot), "Control" is the best song David Bowie never wrote. As usual, though, James Mercer adds a Shins-y touch of light pop-rock bounce and lovely, sweet harmony to the song. Perhaps this could be said to be a "sequel song" to their previous hit from "After the Disco", "Holding On For Life". In that song, they were talking about clinging to things, but in this one, they talk about losing control. Will their next song have a theme of trying to get things back to normal?! We'll see. Only time will tell.


"Don't Just Sit There" by Lucius: With the relentless, danceable energy of Lucius' previous song, "Turn It Around", I was expecting "Don't Just Sit There" to be just as catchy if not more so. It's not. However, it is the perfect song to listen to after a bad day with its more melancholy folk-rock-y flavor. "Don't Just Sit There" is a rather somber, brokenhearted song about the aftermath of a breakup. The song has a bit of an R.E.M.-ish jangle-pop sound, as well as gently strummed acoustic guitars in the background. Lucius - do they want to make us tap our feet or cry our eyes out?! I guess we'll never know for sure until we hear other songs of theirs!


"I Don't Know You Anymore" by Bob Mould: As an ex-punk rocker, Bob Mould doesn't always make an immediate connection with the more mellowed out adult alt crowd. One of the few times he did was with the beautiful, R.E.M.-ish "See A Little Light" back in 1988. "I Don't Know You Anymore" isn't exactly Bob's mellowest, but I guess with the rise of bands who have a brand of "Springsteen-ian punk" (Hold Steady, Gaslight Anthem) who have become popular with the adult alt audiences, a song like "I Don't Know You Anymore" is probably more palatable to those whose taste in music is more soft and melodic than it would have been 10 or 20 years ago. "I Don't Know You Anymore" does indeed boast a sound similar to groups like The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem. The song rocks relentlessly, but it also has a sense of pathos underneath it all that not every rock song does.


"Saturday Night" by G. Love and Special Sauce: G. Love's "Nothing Quite Like Home" came out in winter of this year, and that song brought back the signature blend of rock, blues, jazz, and hip-hop that G. Love had originally become known for. His second single of the year, "Saturday Night", doesn't rock out quite as hard as "Nothing Quite Like Home", but it is still worth listening to. G. Love might be a Pennsylvania native, but the spicy gumbo he cooks up with the drums and harmonica of "Saturday Night" make it seem like it comes from down south in Louisiana instead! "Saturday Night" is a bit more folk-rock-y than his previous hit of 2014, but it still has just the right sort of flavor for the typical G. Love fan to indulge him/herself in. The song is basically the auditory equivalent of eating a jar of salsa marked "mild".


"Weight of Love" by The Black Keys: Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney seem to enjoy the comparisons to classic rock musicians they have gotten with their last two albums. As any fan of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, or The Rolling Stones knows, "rock" doesn't always have to be hard, and some of the best known rock songs are quite ambitious in terms of their length and/or structure. The Black Keys' "Weight of Love" is BOTH!! It is a softer song (at least it starts as one), that clocks in at almost seven minutes!! It seems to take the form of a Floyd-esque "stoner jam" during its first two minutes, which are entirely instrumental. Turn on, tune in, and drop out with The Black Keys. Wow, I never thought I'd say THOSE words together in one sentence!!


"West Coast" by Lana Del Rey: For a pop star, Lana Del Rey is quite bittersweet in pretty much all of her songs! I can't really think of a happy Lana Del Rey song, actually. This is a good thing for me, though, since it proves that you don't have to sound happy or energetic to be popular. "West Coast" continues to go in the poignant direction of Lana's other material. There are some things that are noticeably different about "West Coast", though. For one, the song seems to be almost like a Moody Blues song for the indie-pop generation, alternating between faster verses and a slower chorus. It is also one of the few songs of hers in which the electric guitar plays a central part. The guitar also stays throughout the song, rather than wandering off into the background like it did in "Blue Jeans". The guitar we get on "West Coast" is drenched in reverb, but a rather sad sort of reverb, serving more as an echo of painful emotions than merely as a "psychedelic" sound effect used in the song.


"Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" by Arctic Monkeys: And now we have yet another song that uses a reverb guitar sound. This one is a more bouncy, energetic kind of reverb, though (is there such a thing as a sad Arctic Monkeys song?!) Much as the title of this song would indicate, "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" has a rather mischievous sound, as though someone is creeping up and down a stairway in the middle of the night. Midnight (or rather, after midnight) is when the song takes place, actually, so they probably used this sound on the song on purpose. The lyrics basically give out the message of "don't bother me, I'm trying to sleep, and you're on drugs", but the song itself tells an entirely different story!

New songs for the new year - part 1 - left over from 2013!!

Since I missed so much last time around, my first new blog will be a two-parter. So here goes:


“Hey Brother” by Avicii: Avicii made his name known in summer of last year with his “Mumford and Sons goes clubbin’” megahit, “Wake Me Up”. In his latest song, “Hey Brother”, the Mumford aspect is definitely still there. The “clubbin’” aspect? Well, not so much this time, until the end of the song, which is driven by a synthetic horn solo. Avicii’s pleas for love and peace in “Hey Brother” (“Do you still believe in one another?”) really resonate with me. “Deep” messages in his songs tend to be quite common, but it’s not any wonder when you consider that his stage name refers to an aspect of Buddhism.


“Kangaroo Court” by Capital Cities: And now, here’s another band who had a megahit last year with the super catchy alt-pop dance anthem, “Safe And Sound”. Capital Cities continue to get funky in their second big song, “Kangaroo Court”, perhaps even more than they did the first time around. The song shows a bit of an eccentric side to Capital Cities that wasn’t that apparent on “Safe And Sound”. First off, the title alone points it out (name one other song with the word “kangaroo” in the title!) The chorus (“Shut up, shut up, shut up, sit out, sit out, sit out, it’s a kangaroo court”) is odd, yet still memorable. It’s the music video for “Kangaroo Court” that really takes the cake, though!! Can’t get better than a bunch of weird people in animal costumes! The video can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJinWua98NA


“Stranger to My Happiness” by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings: What better way to kick of a new year of blogging than with a sassy, funky blast of neo-soul that combines the Motown sound with the Stax Records sound?! This one actually came out in November 2013, but I haven’t been able to find a decent copy of the song until this year. Anyway, if you feel like you’re hearing a long lost duet between Aretha Franklin and The Temptations on “Stranger to My Happiness”, don’t be surprised. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings really know how to keep the sound of classic ‘60s soul alive for those of us growing up during the 21st century! Though the subject matter of “Stranger to My Happiness” might be a downer (which can be indicated just from the title of the song), the song itself is most definitely not!


“Thunder Clatter” by Wild Cub: Much like a lot of the other songs for this part of this week’s blog, “Thunder Clatter”, by electronic indie-pop group, Wild Cub, has certain elements of dance-pop to it. If someone told me four years ago when I started this blog that I would have a week where I reviewed songs that were danceable, I would have thought they were nuts, yet here I am, doing exactly that! I guess it’s an acquired taste. Perhaps what sets “Thunder Clatter” apart from other indie-dance-pop songs is that it seems to have certain elements of world music in terms of its rhythm, along with the expected Modest Mouse/MGMT type influences.


“Turn It Around” by Lucius: The “-us” ending of Lucius made me think this was a band fronted by a man, but its lead singer is actually a woman. Lucius’ “Turn It Around” seems to run halfway between the blithe, bubbly indie-pop sound of Boy (best known for “Little Numbers”), and the more sophisticated alt/dance-pop of musicians like Lorde. There is definitely a dance-pop aspect to “Turn It Around”, but it also has a bit of an “indie” sound to it at the same time. “Turn It Around” is for more than just the “hipster” crowd, though, with its tight percussion section (which uses both handclaps and tambourines, in perfect synchronicity with one another), and its simple, but earworm-y chorus (“She’s looking through the wrong end of the telescope, turn it around.”)